Ketchup chips are a regional variety of potato chip whose creation is typically attributed to Hostess Potato Chips. Ketchup chips are strongly associated with Canadian identity due to their popularity. They have limited production in the United States and the United Kingdom.
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The invention of ketchup chips is typically attributed to Hostess Potato Chips, [1] which began experimenting with producing new potato chip varieties in the early 1970s. Ketchup chips were the only one that proved profitable as other flavours like orange and grape were discontinued. [2] Herr's Snacks, an American company, sold ketchup chips by the 1980s. [3] These chips may have been sold even earlier; if so, they would have been invented at same time as Hostess. Herr's sold their chips in the United States, while Hostess only sold theirs in Canada. [4] The flavour is popular in Canada, where it is considered Canadiana, though to a lesser degree than poutine or maple syrup. Millions of bags are produced each year by Frito-Lay, the parent company of Hostess. [5] They are also sold by smaller companies like Covered Bridge. [3] Ketchup chips are available in almost every Canadian grocery store. [6]
According to a writer for The Takeout , ketchup chips do not truly taste like ketchup but instead comprise flavours reminiscent of it, like cooked tomatoes and sugar. [7] A writer for Thrillist described them as tasting "like a bottle of ketchup was blown apart" and that this flavour was "dusted upon the chip in equal parts". [6] The chip variety has also been described as a "sweeter barbecue". [8] Ketchup chips are not marketed with healthier variants, as diminished salt content and natural flavouring changes the taste of them significantly and therefore limits product innovation. [9] Ketchup chips are strongly associated with Canadian identity. [10] They are especially popular in the province of Manitoba. [9]
Canadian chip flavours such as ketchup are more vinegar-based in comparison to the United States, where more varieties have a creamier flavour. These flavour preferences are likely influenced by differing immigration trends and Canada's connection to the United Kingdom. [11] For example, Canadians are more likely to pair white vinegar with fries, a combination that is commonplace in Britain but unusual in the United States. [12]
Historically, Old Dutch sold ketchup chips in both Canada and the United States but discontinued production in the American market after it failed to be profitable. [13] There is limited production of ketchup chips in the United States, but they are much more commonplace in Canada. Frito-Lay does not sell its ketchup chips in the US, with American potato chips being produced by other companies like Herr's Snacks. [5] This company later partnered with Heinz to produce the flavour. [3] In 2023, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported that two Americans travelled from Virginia to Niagara Falls, Ontario, to purchase forty bags of ketchup chips, [14] which went viral. [15]
Walkers, a British food manufacturer, launched ketchup chips in 2001, partnering with Heinz to produce the product. [16] Sausage and ketchup chips were released as a limited edition flavour in 2024. [17]
A potato chip or crisp is a thin slice of potato that has been deep fried, baked, or air fried until crunchy. They are commonly served as a snack, side dish, or appetizer. The basic chips are cooked and salted; additional varieties are manufactured using various flavorings and ingredients including herbs, spices, cheeses, other natural flavors, artificial flavors, and additives.
Quavers are a deep-fried potato-based British snack food. Launched in the UK in 1968, they were originally made by Smith's in their factory on Newark Road in the Bracebridge area of Lincoln. Since 1997 they have been produced by Walkers. The name comes from the musical note, quaver.
Cheetos is a crunchy corn-cheese puff snack brand made by Frito-Lay, a subsidiary of PepsiCo. Fritos creator Charles Elmer Doolin invented Cheetos in 1948, and began national distribution in the United States. The initial success of Cheetos was a contributing factor to the merger between The Frito Company and H.W. Lay & Company in 1961 to form Frito-Lay. In 1965 Frito-Lay became a subsidiary of The Pepsi-Cola Company, forming PepsiCo, the current owner of the Cheetos brand.
Old Dutch Foods, Inc. is a manufacturer of potato chips and other snack foods in the Midwestern United States, New England and Canada. Their product line includes brands such as Old Dutch Potato Chips, Dutch Crunch, Ripples, Cheese Pleesers and Restaurante Style Tortilla Chips.
Ruffles is an American brand of crinkle-cut potato chips. The Frito Company acquired the rights to Ruffles brand potato chips in 1958 from its creator, Bernhardt Stahmer, who had adopted the trademark on May 11th, 1948. Frito merged with H.W. Lay & Co. in 1961 to form Frito-Lay. In India, when this product was introduced in 1995, it was branded “Ruffles Lays”, though it would be renamed to Ruffles in the late 90s.
Wotsits are a popular British brand of cheese-flavoured corn puffs produced by Walkers, a subsidiary of PepsiCo. Known for their light, airy texture and orange hue. Originally launched by Golden Wonder in the 1970s, the snack is primarily known for its cheese variant, although other flavours have been introduced over the years. Wotsits are often compared to other puffed corn snacks globally, such as Cheetos in the United States, but are distinguished by their unique texture and flavour profile.
Lay's is a brand of potato chips with different flavors, as well as the name of the company that founded the chip brand in the United States. The brand is also referred to as Frito-Lay, as both Lay's and Fritos are brands sold by the Frito-Lay company, which has been a wholly owned subsidiary of PepsiCo since 1965. Frito-Lay primarily uses the brand name "Lay's" in the United States and Canada, and uses other brand names in some other countries, such as Walkers in the UK and Ireland, and Smith's in Australia.
Golden Wonder is a British company that manufactures snack foods, most notably crisps. These include Ringos, Golden Wonder and Transform-A-Snack. Since 2006, it has been a wholly owned subsidiary of the Northern Irish company Tayto, purchased from administration.
The Smith's Snackfood Company is a British-Australian snack food brand owned by the American multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation PepsiCo. It is best known for its brand of potato crisps. The company was founded by Frank Smith and Jim Viney in the United Kingdom in 1920 as Smith's Potato Crisps Ltd, originally packaging a twist of salt with its crisps in greaseproof paper bags which were sold around London. The dominant brand in the UK until the 1960s when Golden Wonder took over with Cheese & Onion, Smith's countered by creating Salt & Vinegar flavour which was launched nationally in 1967.
Monster Munch are a British baked corn snack created by Smiths in 1977 and manufactured by Walkers. They are aimed at children and widely consumed in the United Kingdom. Flavours include Roast Beef, Pickled Onion and Sweet and Spicy Flamin' Hot.
Hostess, also known as Munchies from 2024, is the name of a potato chip brand that was the leading brand in Canada for many years after its creation in 1935. During its heyday, they fended off any attempt to displace them from their commanding position, and maintained their #1 position into the 1980s, even in the face of increased competition from US-based companies entering the Canadian market before eventually leading to a merger with US based Lay's in 1988.
Miss Vickie's is a Canadian brand of potato chips made by Frito-Lay in the United States and Canada. The chips are kettle cooked and come in a variety of flavours. They are sold in Canada, Europe, and the United States. Originating on a farm from a recipe her mother had given to her, company co-founder Vickie "Miss Vickie" Kerr slightly altered her inherited recipe by adding peanut oil to the potato chips, but they are no longer cooked in peanut oil today.
Herr's is an American brand of potato chips and other snack foods produced and marketed by eponymous private American company Herr Foods Inc. based in Nottingham, Pennsylvania. Their products are sold primarily throughout the Eastern United States and Canada and they have a stronghold in the Mid-Atlantic region. Their products are sold in all 50 American states and in over 40 countries.
Walkers Snack Foods Limited, trading as Walkers, is a British snack food manufacturer mainly operating in the UK and Ireland. The company is best known for manufacturing potato crisps and other snack foods. In 2013, it held 56% of the British crisp market. Walkers was founded in 1948 in Leicester, England, by Henry Walker. The Walkers family sold the business in 1970 to American food producer, Standard Brands. In 1989, Walkers was acquired by PepsiCo, owners of US snack brand Frito-Lay.
Frito-Lay, Inc. is an American subsidiary of PepsiCo that manufactures, markets, and sells corn chips, potato chips, and other snack foods. The primary snack food brands produced under the Frito-Lay name include Fritos corn chips, Cheetos cheese-flavored snacks, Doritos and Tostitos tortilla chips, Lay's and Ruffles potato chips, Rold Gold pretzels, and Walkers potato crisps. Each brand generated annual worldwide sales over $1 billion in 2009.
A snack is a small portion of food generally eaten between meals. A snack is often less than 200 calories, but this can vary. Snacks come in a variety of forms including packaged snack foods and other processed foods, as well as items made from fresh ingredients at home.
All-dressed is a potato chip flavour popular in Canada.
Takis are a Mexican brand of flavored rolled tortilla chips produced by Barcel, a subsidiary of Grupo Bimbo since 2019. Fashioned after the taquito, it comes in numerous flavors, the best selling of which is the chili-lime "Fuego" flavor, sold in distinctive purple bags, introduced in 2006. Besides the rolled corn chips, Takis produces other snacks with the same flavor lines, including different potato chip varieties, corn "stix", popcorn, and peanuts.
